Thursday, 22 December 2016

NIAS-DST Training Programme on "Science Policy and General Management"

6-17 February 2017

at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, India

Invitation for Nomination

The broad theme for the two-week NIAS-DST training programme to be held during February 6-17, 2017 is "Science Policy and General Management" with 'Energy Security and Sustainable Development' as the core theme. Consistent with the mission of NIAS, this training programme emphasizes the development of leadership qualities through the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. The thematic focus of this year's training programme will be particularly suited for those with an interest in energy technologies and sustainable development.

One of the largest research concentrations at NIAS is the Energy and Environment Policy Programme, which is a unique group in the country with a comprehensive approach to address energy challenges. Here researchers from natural sciences and engineering work in collaboration with those from the humanities and social sciences in developing comprehensive technology and policy solutions to India's persistent energy problems.

India's projected economic growth and demographic expansion highlights the twin challenges faced by policymakers to increase energy supplies while also seeking to minimize the environmental impacts of energy development. For the past two decades India bas been facing a significant tightening of its energy supplies causing obstacles for development and growth. Energy planning and development in India also suffer from the fragmented nature of policymaking in the State and Central governments resulting in suboptimal outcomes. While public resistance is increasingly proving to be a challenge for industrial development, energy projects face peculiar difficulties due to differing distributions of costs and benefits among various stakeholders and perceptions thereof.

What should be the optimal energy mix for a large country like India that can address these goals? How can India address the supply problems of coal, oil, and natural gas in the short and medium term? What are the technically and economically feasible limits of renewable and nuclear energy penetration in India? How can India's energy security goals be met while also not compromising its national security and foreign policy interests? Finally, how will the country address inequality of energy access arising out of poverty and geography? The choice of topics for discussion in the training programme will provide orientation and in-depth analysis of various national energy challenges.

The objective of this training programme is to expose participants to various local, national, and international issues affecting India's energy development in the medium and long term. In addition, the training programme will also enhance planning skills relevant for science and technology administrators, and in particular, to offer views of the broader scientific, economic, social and cultural milieu in which the Indian Scientific enterprise could develop in this century.

About 20 eminent speakers and researchers will be addressing the participants on various topics during the two-week programme, which will also have two public lectures, an industrial site visit, and a cultural outing during the weekend break. The general format of the speaker sessions is a presentation for 45 minutes followed by lively discussions for 45 minutes. We encourage all participants in our courses to interact as widely as possible with the speakers and continue discussions during coffee and lunch breaks. Engaging in a broader conversation during this training programme is expected to enrich the participants and expose them to issues beyond their narrow domain expertise.